Retainer Reference System to replace the Market Wards.

[Roaran]

I have to say Blaise, you captured both the details and the spirit of the idea accurately.

1. My idea used the "multiple NPCs hosting different items" method to give it more of a market feel, and less of a pawn shop feel.

2. Instead of summoning the retainer to you for purchasing, my idea used a "buy from NPC" method. One can simply think of putting an item in a retainer's bazaar as a way of saying "Go take this to the wards for me."

I think this is a perfectly good implementation and,

the use of a retainer as a sales liaison

is exactly what I had in mind.

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I'm not very particular about the various methods used to accomplish the reference system, but there are a few parts that I think are absolutely necessary

1. That retainer's all retainers with items in their bazaar be available for reference.
2. That the number of 'market zones' be reduced to one.
3. That, from this zone, players are able to find and purchase items without having to travel.

Whether or not the markets be linked, I don't much mind after we have chocobos and airships. It would be even interesting if players became merchants and began, for example, buying Iron Ore in Ul'dah to sell to Blacksmiths in Limsa. I also don't much mind how the item is exactly purchased, whether it is after summoning the retainer itself or simply purchasing from an NPC.

What is absolutely important, is that players need only place items in their Retainer's bazaar and dismiss them and their items be available to the city in which they wish to sell. (You could even pay a small fee, 1,000gil for example, to have the retainer travel to another city.)

Anyways, my point is... people have been asking for an Auction house for some time now. The market wards are overly convoluted and have their own inherent problems. But, this reference system is the middleground. Combining the best of the AH, and the best of the market wards.

Also, I might redraft the OP, to add all the important points that have been made thus far, outline the basic barebones of the system, and give some reason why this is far superior to any other system we will likely see.

Edit: I think rather than redrafting, I'll make a diary post that both outlines it and use some pictures to lay out how it would work.

Just added the diary post.